reproductive rights

As a U.S. federal court considers whether to reconnect Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube, Jewish scholars are turning to halachah, or Jewish religious law, for guidance on the issue. Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman whose parents and husbands have been in battling in state and now federal courts for more than a decade, is the… More ▸

When a federal judge in Georgia ruled last week that a local school board’s decision to put a small sticker on its science textbooks labeling evolution “a theory, not a fact” was unconstitutional, Jeffrey Selman said it was primarily an American issue. Still, he said, he could not help but view it through the lens… More ▸

Jewish groups are hoping to enlist rabbis in the struggle to ensure that abortion rights are not eroded during President Bush’s second term. A coalition of organizations, led by the National Council of Jewish Women, is asking rabbis across the country to sign a letter that would be sent to U.S. senators if a new… More ▸

After a lengthy pause for the presidential election, Congress is preparing for an ambitious legislative session that is expected to touch on many of the Jewish community’s domestic and foreign policy priorities. No major legislative work is expected to occur before President Bush is inaugurated Jan. 20. The next few weeks will be spent seeking… More ▸

It’s like one of those family fights that devolves into shouts of “You just don’t get it.” Conservative Christians wonder if “blue-state” voters — those in states that went Democratic — get the values that drove them to the polls in unprecedented numbers to re-elect George W. Bush. People who voted for John Kerry —… More ▸

When Debbie Wasserman Schultz first walked into the Florida House of Representatives as a legislator, she was 26 and most of her colleagues were old enough to be her parents and grandparents. In January, when she walks into the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, she likely will be in the same boat. But she’s… More ▸

Having prevailed in a tight re-election contest, President Bush can forever put behind him questions about his mandate: He will use his clear majority of the popular vote and the increased Republican strength in both houses of Congress to effect dramatic change at home and abroad. Just don’t expect change in Israel. The intractability of… More ▸

Jewish groups say they are expecting much the same in the U.S. Congress over the next two years, with little legislative progress on their top domestic policy priorities. At the same time, the new Congress, with 11 Jewish senators and 26 Jewish representatives, is expected to remain strongly pro-Israel. With Republicans strengthening their hold on… More ▸

In the leafy Philadelphia suburb of Bala Cynwyd, Amy Feldman stood in line, two young children clutching at her waist, ready to cast her vote for U.S. president. “I’m voting for George Bush because he’s stronger on Israel and that’s my No. 1 issue,” said the 35-year-old attorney on Tuesday. But Feldman appeared to be… More ▸

The Democratic and Republican whips in the U.S. House of Representatives have a lot in common when it comes to Jewish issues — such as bipartisan agreement on support for Israel and an understanding that neither party can take the Jewish vote for granted any longer. In exclusive interviews with JTA, Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)… More ▸